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D&D is arguably the most common of the pen and paper RPGs and there many ways to do something similar in GURPS. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy emulates the early days of D&D but can have issues with the newer versions. But there are those who want a somewhat easier way (ie involves less books) to convert D&D to GURPS. D&D classes and levels vs. GURPS point levels Because of the flexibility in GURPS there is simply no way to convert a class level combo into a point total. It is better to convert concepts than actual raw power. Attributes One aspect of D&D attributes that makes them hard to convert is that in addition to adjusting skills most of them confer what in GURPS terms would be called advantages (or if they are low enough disadvantages). ST (derived GURPS attribute HP) = STR IQ (derived GURPS attributes Will, Per) = 10 + INT modifier; See note on spell casters (Wizards). :Will = IQ + Wis bonuses/penalties DX HT (derived GURPS attribute FP) = 10 + Con modifier/(Dis)advantage - Unfit/Fit can be used rather then making HT insanely high. D&D Hit points D&D Hit points are a complex matrix of special cinematic rules and advantages. The higher these are the more cinematic the character is. Social Traits and Background * Charisma in GURPS is separate from Appearance and is not a requirement for being in a particular "class" (Profession template in GURPS). * The Tech Level of the average D&D world is TL3 to TL(3+2) * Languages: The default in GURPS is that a character knows how to speak as well as read and write one language natively. The cost of additional languages is based on how well they are known in both spoken and written form. D&D tends toward character being literate. * Wealth: Wealth is always a problem - characters either have too little of it or too much. Written for GURPS 3rd edition Incanus Color of Money provides some ideas on how to deal with wealth from a point prospective. Templates and Lenses (Races and Classes) Because GURPS is so detailed and flexible it is easy to become overwhelmed by the choices. To help deal with this problem GURPS provides an option called Templates and a way to create common variations called lenses (B449). Templates come in three forms: Character/Occupational templates which serve a function similar to character classes in D&D, Racial which a package of advantages, disadvantages, and skills a particular race has, and finally meta-traits (B262-3, F133-4) which denote a particular state. Lenses are simply specialized templates that create an emphasis ie the Paladin and Ranger can be done as lenses of the Fighter template. Racial Templates Between the two of them the Basic Set and Fantasy provide a plethora of race templates: * Dwarf (B261, F107) * Elf (B316, F108) * Halfling (F109) * Orc (F110) * Centaur (F105) * DevilFish (F105) * Djinni (F107) * Dragon (B261, F107) * Faerie (F108) * Felinoid (B261) * Ghoul (F108) * Imp (109) * Myrmidon (F109) * Selkie (F110) * Troll (110-1) * Eastern Vampire (F111) * Gothic Vampire (B262) * Werewolf (F112). * undead lenses (F112-3). Since nearly anything can become a racal template or lens, the only limitations are what the GM allows the Players to use. A resourceful GURPS GM could even create an “Anti-Dungeon” where the players are playing brave monsters trying to defend their home from evil adventurers! Occupational Templates Occupational Templates (also known as Character Templates) in GURPS generally include everything: Attributes primary and secondary, advantages, disadvantages, and skills. However in this conversion the Attribute section of such Templates has been taken care of so we are left with advantages, disadvantages, and skills. However unlike D&D GURPS skills can default to other skills, so you do not need to know as many skills as it may first appear. This is especially true of the Melee weapon skills which don't fit D&D’s weapon categories of simple, martial, and exotic. Also skills the classes logically should have are missing (Clerics for example do not have theology). For these reasons and to simplify the conversion while adding some flexibility the D&D class templates have been modified to bring them more in line with their Medieval-Renaissance inspirations as well as adding advantages and skills better suited to role-playing. The noted exception is the Monk; the D&D Monk owes more to 1970s Kung Fu movies than Medieval European Monks and to really do justice to the class the addition of GURPS Martial Arts would be needed. To keep the book total an alternative monk more in keeping with the way they were is provided - a person of learning whose efforts keep the old knowledge of the great fallen empire alive. If a Monk more along the lines of the D&D type is desired there is the Wardancer (F126). Cleric 16 (Holy Man F120) Clerical Investment 5, Blessed or Power Investiture 10, True Faith (15) Duty Church/Religion -10, Vow (varies) -10 Crossbow (DX/e), First Aid/TL (IQ/e), Theology (IQ/h), Melee Weapons: Axe/Mace (DX/a), Knife (DX/e), and Spear (DX/a), Occultism (IQ/a), Shield (DX/e), Spells (IQ/h to IQ/v), Throwing (DX/a) Optional Advantage: Legal Immunity (B65) Optional Skills: Esoteric Medicine (B192), Hidden Lore (B199), Physician/TL (B213) * Druid lens +6: You are a cleric of nature. Add Animal Handling (IQ/a), Naturalist (IQ/h), Pharmacy/TL (Herbal) (IQ/h), Survival (IQ/a), Tracking (IQ/a), Veterinary/TL (IQ/h) Optional advantages: Animal Empathy (B40), Talent (Animal Friend) (B89-90) Fighter 14 Armoury/TL (IQ/a), Bow (DX/a), Brawling (DX/e), Crossbow (DX/e) Melee Weapons: Axe/Mace (DX/a), Flail (DX/h), Knife (DX/e), Polearm (DX/a), Spear (DX/a), Shortsword (DX/a), Two handed Axe/Mace (DX/a), and Two-handed sword (DX/a) Shield (DX/e), Throwing (DX/a) Optional advantages: Enhanced Defenses (B51), Trained By Master (B93), Weapon Master (B99) Optional Wildcard skill: Sword! (DX, B175) * Barbarian Lens +0 (F116): You are a fighter from one of the ‘Uncivilized’ parts of the world. Add Basic Speed 5/0.25, Low TL -5/TL, and Language (native speaker, illiterate) -3 Running (HT/a), Strategy (IQ/h), Tactics (IQ/h) Optional Advantage: Enhanced Defenses (Dodge, B51) Optional disadvantage: Berserk (B124) * Paladin Lens +45: You are a warrior defender of the faith. Add Blessed or Power Investiture (powers lost if Chivalric and/or Religious Codes broken, severe penance) 10, Rep +2 (from Religion) 10, Status 2 10, Comfortable Wealth or Patron 10, True Faith 15 Vow (Chivalric Code of Honor) -15 Riding (DX/a), Lance (DX/a), Heraldry (IQ/a), Savoir-Faire (IQ/e), Spells (IQ/h-v) Optional advantages: Healing (B56) Optional skills: Esoteric Medicine (B192), Hidden Lore (B199), Physician/TL (B213) * Ranger Lens +11/+16: You are fighter with an affinity with nature. Add Magery 0 5 or Power Investiture 10 Animal Handling (IQ/a), Hiking (HT/a), Naturalist (IQ/h), Survival (IQ/a), Tracking (IQ/a), Veterinary/TL (IQ/v) Optional advantages: Animal Empathy (B40), Talent (Animal Friend) (B89-90) Bard 28 (F117) Magery 15 Armoury/TL (IQ/a), Bow (DX/a), Crossbow (DX/e), Literature(IQ/h), Melee Weapons: Axe/Mace (DX/a), Knife (DX/e), Spear (DX/a) Innate Attack (DX/e), Musical Instrument (IQ/h), Poetry (1a), Public Speaking(IQ/a), Shield (DX/e), Singing (HT/e), Throwing (DX/a) Optional Advantages: Legal Immunity (Bardic, B65), Talent (Music, B89-91) Monk 0 Legal Immunity (w/ Diplomatic pouch) 10 Duty (Church/Order 12-) -10, Vows varies -10 Diagnosis/TL (IQ/h), Esoteric Medicine (Per/h), First Aid/TL (IQ/e), History (IQ/h), Literature (IQ/h), Melee Weapon: Staff (DX/a), Naturalist (IQ/h), Survival (IQ/a) Optional skills: Esoteric Medicine (B192), Hidden Lore (B199), Physician/TL (B213) Rogue 13 (Thief F124) Acrobatics (DX/h), Brawling (DX/e), Bow (DX/a), Climbing (DX/a), Crossbow (DX/e), Escape (DX/h), Lockpicking/TL (IQ/a), Melee Weapon: Knife (DX/e), Pickpocket (DX/h), Stealth (DX/a), Streetwise (1a), Throwing (DX/a), Traps/TL (IQ/a) Sorcerer/Warlock/Wizard 22 (F118-119, F124) Magery/Magery (Ritual) 1 15 Alchemy/TL (IQ/v), Innate attack (Beam/Breath/Projectile) (DX/e), Melee Weapons: Axe/Mace (DX/a), Knife (DX/e), and Spear (DX/a), Spells (IQ/h-v), Thanumatology (IQ/v) Optional Wildcard skill: Magic! (M202) Converting Skills While skills convert reasonably their expertise is a little hazier. The best solution to note what skills the character has and figure out their base level based on the information on B171-172 and especially the “Choosing Your Skill Levels” box on B172. If you still think you need send your skill level past 20 look at Techniques as a way improve what the character can do rather than send the skill level into orbit. With so many choices a few advantages and skills deserve mentioning: Affliction, Binding, Innate Attack advantages and Innate Attack skill One of these GURPS advantages and the Innate Attack skill is going to be your most used combination in converting D&D monsters because so many have it whether it be the crushing mandibles of a giant ant (Innate Attack), the web of a giant spider (Binding), the gaze of a medusa (Innate Attack and Affliction), or the breath weapon of a dragon (Innate Attack). The advantage is the attack itself while the Innate Attack skill is hitting something with it. The Innate Attack skill is also used for certain spells. Spells The spell systems GURPS allows are detailed enough that they are dealt with separately in a GURPS magic in D&D page. The general advice here is to compare how spells function effect wise rather then focusing on individual spells. For example the D&D spell Leomund’s Secret Chest is roughly equivalent to the GURPS spell Hideaway. Trained By A Master and Weapon Master These two advantages are similar in that they reduce the penalties for Rapid Strike and multiple parries and are the prerequisites for a host of cinematic skills. However they differ in several key areas. Trained by a Master has a larger skill list while Weapon Master not only allows more fine tuning (from one weapon all the way up to every muscle powered weapon in the game) but it reduces skill defaults for muscle power weapons and at high skill level actually adds to damage. Usually a character will have either Trained by a Master (most cinematic Kung Ku characters) or Weapon Master (Conan, Thundarr, and Zorro) though there are a few that have both like Scorpion of Five Deadly Venoms and Xena. Unkillable Nearly every high level Undead monster and many demons in D&D will have this advantage. Unkillable 1 allows the monster to remain fighting all the way to -10*HP without a single HT roll and Unkillable 2 and 3 allow the thing to come back! Dracula in the Hammer horror films had Unkillable 3 with the Achilles Heel (wood, running water), Hindrance (wood, frozen water), Trigger (blood) limitations. The World, Universe, and Everything Else Converting the world itself can be in many respects the hardest part. As noted on B493 you only need to do the PC treatment of major NPCs; everybody else can pretty much be made on the spot so NPC conversion is not a problem. However world conversion can be especially difficult when modules are involved. This is where GURPS Fantasy become very useful as it will give the tools to better convert an existing fantasy world (as well as build one from scratch). There are race templates for many races and a few unique mythological characters such as Lilth (F54) and Tiamat (F56). However before going head long into Fantasy it is still best to start with the Basic Set. Chapters 17-19 (B462-522) are definitely a must and here again GURPS goes into far more detail than D&D does. The concept of Control Ratings and Legality Classes (B506-7) give the GM excellent tools for controlling potential bothersome spells and items; most D&D governments with be in the CR3-5 range with the occasional CR6. Category:Conversions Category:Concepts